'The Guard' named the number one independent Irish movie of all time – VIDEOS

“The Guard” has officially “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” in the Irish box-office to become the most successful independent Irish film of all time.

Overtaking other successful Irish titles including “In Bruges”, “Veronica Guerin” and “Man About Dog”, “The Guard” has now grossed over €4.13 million in Ireland.

Writer-director John Michael McDonagh said “It's been extremely satisfying for me that such a hard-drinking, whoring, drug-taking, anti-authoritarian character as Sergeant Gerry Boyle has struck so resounding a chord with Irish and International audiences.”

James Hickey, the Chief Executive, Irish Film Board said “This is great news for the Irish film industry. We’re delighted to see an Irish film compete successfully with major Hollywood blockbusters here in Ireland and also achieving a strong audience response worldwide. It’s a testament to the local and the international appeal of Irish film and the quality of filmmaking in Ireland.”

This figure is also significantly ahead of other heavy-weight films this year like “The Hangover 2”, “The King’s Speech”, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”.

“The Guard” also finding audiences around the world and has been in the top ten in the UK, Australia and New Zealand already this month. In the US, it has grown week on week and now in its sixth week with a box-office total of nearly $3m million and it has now expanded close to 200 screens in the US. With further releases planned for later this year in Germany, France, Italy and Holland, it is expected that “The Guard” will become one of the most successful Irish film exports in recent times.